The present invention generally relates to a butter-type product that is spreadable at low temperatures. More specifically, the present invention relates to a butter product containing an oil-in-water-in-oil emulsion that is spreadable at temperatures of about 45° F. and remains spreadable following repeated exposure to temperatures of about 45° F. to about 80° F. The present invention further includes methods of making the butter-type product.
Many attempts have been made to produce low temperature spreadable butters or butters that are spreadable at temperatures of about 32° F. to about 45° F.
Most of the attempts include the use of three to four or more fractionation components derived from butter at a variety of temperatures that yield enough olein/stearine fractions that can be blended in varying ratios to produce a low temperature spreadable butter. Unfortunately, only a small portion of the fractionation components are used during production with the rest requiring disposal or utilization through foodservice and food distribution outlets in order to keep the process economical. In addition, multiple fractionation steps are cumbersome and time consuming.
Furthermore, attempts to produce low temperature spreadable butters or butter-based products often include the addition of stabilizers, gums and other texture modifiers to produce butter-based products. Low temperature spreadable butters containing such additives cannot legally be defined as “butter” according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) definitions.
Additionally, use of processing steps in which high-fat cream undergoes phase inversion to butter have also been attempted. Such methods often result in dairy products that are unstable and do not remain spreadable particularly after exposure to fluctuating temperature conditions.